Jacob is a common masculine
given name of
Hebrew origin. The
English form is derived from the
LatinIacobus, from the
GreekἸάκωβος (Iakobos), ultimately from the
Hebrewיַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqōḇ), the name of
Jacob, biblical patriarch of the
Israelites, and a major figure in the
Abrahamic religions. The name comes either from the Hebrew root עקבʿqb meaning "to follow, to be behind" but also "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel", עֲקֵבʿaqeb. It can also be taken to mean "may God protect."[2][3]
In the narrative of
Genesis, it refers to the circumstances of Jacob's birth when he held on to the heel of his older twin brother
Esau (Genesis 25:26).
The name is etymologized (in a direct speech by the character Esau) in Genesis 27:36, adding the
significance of Jacob having "supplanted" his elder brother by buying his birthright.[4]
In a Christian context, Jacob – James in English form – is the name for several people in the New Testament: (1) the apostle
James, son of Zebedee, (2) another apostle,
James, son of Alphaeus, and (3)
James the brother of Jesus (James the Just), who led the original Nazarene Community in Jerusalem. There are several Jacobs in the
genealogy of Jesus.
Modern usage
From 1999 through 2012, Jacob was the most popular baby name for boys in the United States.[5]
^"And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me (יַּעְקְבֵנִי) these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing" (KJV)